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Buddy, Burgundy, and now Bobby. Will Ferrell fans wait with loyal anticipation to see the latest film by Hollywood's right-on comedy man. I
was one of them. I watched the trailer for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby again and again. Each time laughing out loud at Ferrell's
current comic character. Then I saw the movie.

Talladega Nights is the fictitious tale of a #1 NASCAR driver named Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) who loves to go fast and does anything to win. His best friend and teammate Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly) is always there to help him finish first and puts up with always being number two. When a French Formula One driver (Sacha Baron Cohen) begins to close the gap on the circuit lead, Bobby's talent and success are put to the test.

As with Ron Burgundy, this film falls square on the shoulders of Ferrell. When he isn't on and funny the movie is yawnable at best. The crude humor and futile stretches at shock lines fall way short of anything original or clever. But it's not the content that makes this film bad, it's the lack of. It bounces from one Will wit to another with no thought of even the slightest plot line.

The scenes are pieced together with a thin story involving Ricky's dad, a failed marriage and overcoming fear in the fast lane. But it all ends up in
the pits. I had high hopes for this film and am a huge fan of Ferrell. He is amazingly talented and funny but without the strong presence of a director like Jon Favreau, his talent sort of flies around with unbridled abandon. This works perfectly for SNL skits but it just isn't enough for a full
length picture. Many times the film simply tries too hard. There is a scene in the trailer where Ricky Bobby is praying before dinner and it has perfect timing and delivery. Unfortunately the person who edited the segment wasn't around for the movie. That scene ends up playing way too long in the film and what you thought was funny was just well timed preview editing and overkill in extended form.

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence, Talladega Nights pushes the envelope for any youngster under 12. Bobby's two sons Walker and Texas Ranger say whatever they want to whomever they want and it comes across not funny but as an embarrassment to the writers. To hear Ron Burgundy be crude is funny. To hear it from a 9 year old is just plain dumb. I give this race romp 2 out of 5 blown engines simply because I think Ferrell is capable of much better and a film should at least be better than its own trailer. A trailer I will download in place of the movie. With a look at Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, I'm Matt Mungle

The Mungle 8/02/06

Matt is a member of the North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and hosts the weekly syndicated Indie Rock Radio Show Spin 180. Plus with his wife Cindy they do a weekly radio feature, The Mungles on Movies. For additional reviews and interview clips visit the website www.mungleshow.com"